Smudgie was my protector. most nights she slept curled up in the crook of my neck -- at the time, my hair was a dirty blonde, and Mum used to laugh about how she could never tell where the cat ended and i began.
hello here is a shrine to my cats
this is my cat Smudge. she was my best friend and i miss her incredibly dearly
Smudge / Smudgie / fatcat
2004 - 2022
we first got Smudge in 2004 when my Nana brought her home as a kitten. she had intended to keep her for herself, only we fell in love and stole her away for ourselves.
i know people are always biased when talking about their pets, but Smudgie really was the best cat in the whole entire world !!!! she was the sweetest, gentlest cat you could ever hope to meet, and everyone who had the privilege of meeting her loved her.
i've always proudly boasted about how "she's technically the family cat but she's really MY cat", because it's true.
Smudgie was my protector. most nights she slept curled up in the crook of my neck -- at the time, my hair was a dirty blonde, and Mum used to laugh about how she could never tell where the cat ended and i began.
Smudge had a knack for sensing when something was up and would quietly curl up beside you for a cuddle and a pat. the afternoon that we got the call telling us my grandmother had finally passed away from terminal cancer, my little sister scooped up Smudge and handed her to me, saying "i think you need her right now".
Keith / "Keith the Antisocial Cat" / little man
~2011 - 2022
one day i came home from band camp to the news that my dad had begrudgingly adopted a cat. for a long time after we got him, Keith was incredibly skittish; if he saw you coming down the hall, he would turn and sprint in the other direction. he often wouldn't be in the same room as anyone, unless he was eating. he also remained nameless for some time -- that is, until Dad was drinking with a friend when Keith walked in only to scamper out again, and Dad's mate just looked at the cat and declared "Keith. Keith the Antisocial Cat." and that's how Keith got his name.
despite his antisocial nature, Keith gradually warmed up to us. over time, he got comfortable being in the same room with us, and even graduated up to sitting beside us on the couch, or hanging out on our beds for a while. even before then, he was a quiet companion -- one night when i was 16, i had a terrible fight with my parents and fled the house, hiding in a dark corner of the driveway. Keith came out and kept me company in the cold winter's night; denizen of the night and caretaker of pissed-off teenage girl.
Keith was a chatty little bastard. he literally never stopped meowing. Dad always insisted that Keith's meow was annoying, but i quietly loved it, and enjoyed meowing back at him.
the day that Smudge died, my Dad texted me to say that Keith was missing. several days later, he texted again to say that he'd found him -- curled up under the deck, having died in his sleep. i lost both my cats in the same week, and let me tell you, it was ROUGH.
(side note: this was my phone's suggested response. it gave us both a laugh during a hard time, at least.)
in some ways, Keith's death hit harder than Smudge's, just because it was so unexpected. Smudge had been unwell for months before she died; when i moved cities the month before, i knew it would likely be the last time i saw her, so i got to say my goodbyes. but Keith... i didn't know it was coming. i never got to say goodbye.
Dad's new cat. he's my buddy :)
back in my final year of undergrad, the local cat used to break into our house and hang out. his name was Hercules, and initially he jumped in through my flatmate's perpetually-open window; when he kept coming by, we started leaving a window open for him, and bought him some treats. he stayed the night on at least one occasion, curling up with me in bed for the night. Hercules was over so frequently that he practically lived with us.